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(No Model.)

. G. S. COLLUM. 000mm SLAB FOR GONFEOTIONERS.

No. 449,577. Patented Mar; 31, 1891.

NITED STATns GEORGE S. COLLUM, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO ANNIE K. COLLUM, OF SAME PLACE. I

COOLING-SLAB FORCONFECTIONERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 449,577, dated March 31, 1891.

. Application filed December 26, 1890. Serial No. 375,778. (Ncmodeh) T0 a ZZ whom it 72mg concern:

Be it known that l, GEORGE S. COLLUM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cooling-Slabs for C011- fectioners Use, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

The invention relates to the class of slabs used by confectioners for cooling candy; and the object is to provide a slab for such purpose which can be made as smooth and level as the marble slab nowin common use, and which will be cheaper and will absorb the heat from a batch of candy more rapidly and will remain at a constant low temperature more evenly than the prior slabs. To this end the slab consists in a plate of uniform thickness having a smooth and perfectly level upper surface, with a groove in its lower surface, and a receptacle having an inlet and outlet for the medium used to absorb heat from the plate,

the receptacle having double walls, the inner of which projects into the groove, so as to form two chambers beneath the plate, as more particularlyhereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan viewof the device,with part of the plate cut away to show the interior. Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinal section of the slab. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on plane denoted bythe broken line 0: cc of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail View, on enlarged scale, of one end of the slab.

In the views the letter a indicates a receptacle, preferably cast to shape, of iron,having a bottom 1), side walls 0, and an inner wall or dam (Z, usually parallel with, but somewhat higher than, the exterior side walls and dividing the receptacle into two chambers a (1- A plate e, preferably formed of steel rolled to a uniform thickness with a perfectly level upper surface and having a groove f cutin its lower surface Wider than but corresponding in outline to the inner walls cl of the receptacle, is placed loosely upon the receptacle, so that the inner walls project into and come in contact with the under surface of the platein the groove f. The upper edge of the inner walls (Z are preferably broken orso formed that the plate does not rest upon them so as to form a liquidtight joint, and this maybe accomplishedby serrating or indenting the upper edge of the walls or by setting studs or screws into the edge in order that an openingmaybe left for the passage of liquid over the inner walls or dam cl from the interior chamber a to the exterior chamber a Through the bottom 17, preferably at the center of the chamber a, a small opening g is made, into which leads an inlet-duct for the cooling-liquid, while through the bottom of the chamber a between the interior and exterior walls, an outlet-openin g h, larger than the inlet-opening c, is made for the escape of the cooling-liquid, which enters from the inlet-duct g, and after filling the interior chamber a and rising into the groove f, so as to bathe the entire under surface of the plate, flo'ws over the top of the inner walls or dam (Z on all sides into the exterior chamber a from which it escapes through the large outlet-duct h.

It is essential that the cooling-liquid, usually water, should come in contact with and bathe the entire lower surface of the plate to insure a uniform temperature and constant convection of. heat by the liquid over the whole mass of the plate, and it is essential that thelarge smooth upper surface of the slab be level, in order that the candy in its semi-liquid condition will not settle and becomethicker upon one edge, also thattheliquid may loathe the entirelower surface of the plate, and it has been found that this cannot be accomplishedby castin g the plate to shape, as the casting will warp and cannot be madelevel only by a large amount of expensive machine-work. To overcome these obstacles my plate is first rolled to a perfectly smooth and level condition and the groove cut in one surface, into which the edge of the inner walls cl will project, so that the cooling-liquid, of which a small stream is always flowing into the inner chamber a, is compelled to rise into this groove before it can overflow the walls cl into the exterior chamber ta from which it escapes. This necessitates that the liquid come in contact with and bathe the entire under surface of the plate and keep the temperature uniform at all parts, and as the liquid atthe top,

which becomes warmed by contact with the plate, first overflows the dam'into the exterior chamber on all sides and escapes, and its space is occupied by the cooler liquid which is entering, the temperature of the liquid is kept reduced anda large amount of heat conveeted from the plate, which is a good co11- duetor, whereby the slab is kept down to a uniform low degree of temperature.

I claim as my invention 1. A cooling-slab consisting of an interior chamber having an inlet-opening and an exterior chamber having an outlet-opening, with a plate of unifom thickness resting loosely upon the walls of the receptacle, substantially as described,and for the purpose specified.

2. A cooling-slab consisting of an interior chamber having an inlet-opening and an exterior chamber having an on tlet-openi11g,with

GEORGE COL'LUM.

Witnesses:

HARRY R. \VILLIAMS, ARTHUR B. JENKINS. 

